Strap tensioning and sealing device



Oct. 13, 1942. H. J. SPENCER STRAP EEIISIOIITENG AND SEALING DEVICE 6Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1959 V I INVE NTOR Her/77804 Spencer Au6&4.

Oct. 13, 1942. H. J. SPENCER 2,298,558

STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE v Filed July 15, 1959 s Sheets-Sheeta J01 i ."1 -Q- J/"JEJ 7 J INVENTOR I i ia; f1 Hermandpencer l I l 2 55i Y AMLWW 4 Oct. '13, 1942.

H. J. SPENCER STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed July 15, 1939 6Sheets-Sheet 4 QNN QMN NM-N WNW Spencer yfi.

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Her/Wand -i mm Q R N 3 mm Q wwN wmNv Oct. 13, 1942. H. 1. SPENCER2,298,658

STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed July 15, 1939 '6 Sheets-Sheet5 J81 lg 4 1 Fig.1 6

INVENTOR Her/ 6nd. Spencer Oct. 13, 1942. P CER s'TRA? TENSIONING ANDSEALING DEVICE Filed July 15, 1939 6 Shets-Sheet 6 I TNVENTOR Qfler'manJSpencer' k1 J/MM ,KMPM

Patented Oct. 13, 1942 azssrss STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICEHerman J. Spencer, West View, Pa., assignor to Leechgrip Company,Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 15,1939, Serial No. 284,672

14 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for tightening and securingtogether the ends of a metallic reinforcing band or binding strap whichhas been passed around a container or package and, more particularly, tocertain improvements in devices of the character described in my PatentsNos. 2,101,981 and 2,182,004.

While devices of this general character have been known and usedheretofore, those with which I am familiar are characterized by variousobjectionable features. This is even true of the devices shown anddescribed in my aforementioned patents, although those devices representsubstantial improvements over those in general use prior to my inventionthereof. It is the purpose of the present invention to produce a strapor band fastening device which is charac terized by simplicity,relatively low cost of construction, a high degree of effectiveness inoperation, compactness, ruggedness, and an arrangement of parts socooperating that it is practically impossible for the operator to jamthe machine by improper operation thereof. Other important features andadvantages of the device which I provide bythe present invention will bemore specifically pointed out and described in the description of thepreferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in theappended .drawings.

The device which I provide embodies a base and a standard upon which aremounted the various operating parts. The base and standard carry thethree operating levers by which all of the various functions areperformed. The'one lever, which is hereinafter referred to as the mainoperating lever, actuates the mechanism for feeding a seal intoappropriate position over the overlapped strap ends. This main operatinglever also lowers the strap tightening mechanism and a portion of thestrap guiding mechanism into appropriate position in relation to theover lapped strap ends. This same lever is also arranged in relation tothe other operating parts of the device so that when moved to oneposition it will operate the shear and shear off the coil end of thestrap being placed around the package. This same lever also is used forunlocking the forming lever which actuates the mechanism for forming thejoint between the overlapped strap The locking arrangement for 7 endsand the seal. locking the forming lever in its normal position is sopositioned that the forming lever cannot be operated in the normaloperation of the machine until after the seal has been fed intoposheared off. In another operation of this main lever the seal feedingmechanism is again operated but the feeding mechanism is so arranged andinterconnected with the joint forming or sealing mechanism that the mainoperating lever will not again operate to feed a seal into position overthe strap ends until after the forming lever has been operated throughat least a portion of the joint forming stroke.

The second lever, which is herein described as the strap tighteninglever, is arranged to operate the strap tightening disks which arecarried on the base and standard and which operate in the manner morespecifically described hereinafter.

The third lever, which is referred to herein as the forming lever, isused for forming the joint between the seal and the overlapped strapends. As stated above, provision is made for locking this lever and theparts operated thereby in normal position above the strap ends so thatit cannot be operated until after certain other necessary operations arecarried out. This lever not only serves to form the joint between theseal and the overlapped strap ends but it also cooperates with the sealfeeding mechanism to return it to neutral position and to move themechanism for holding the clip seal from beneath the forming mechanismas the forming mechanism and the seal are lowered into appropriateposition over the overlapped strap ends.

As indicated above, considerable difficulty has been heretoforeencountered by reason of the jamming of such devices. They haveheretofore been of such character that an operator who was notparticularly careful in the operation of the feeding mechanism couldreadily feed the clip seal throughout only part of the distance from themagazine to the proper position over the strap ends. If he thenattempted to rectify the improper feeding by further actuation of thefeeding mechanism, the device would jam due to the fact that two sealswould have been fed partially into position. Even assuming that thedevice was of such character that both seals could be fed to properposition it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for theoperator to operate the machine so as to form the joint between thestrap ends and the two seals. In accordance with the present invention Iprovide an arrangement of the operating mechanism, including the feedingmechanism, which is of such character that the operator cannot jam thedevice by the feeding of more than one sition over the strap ends andthe coil end seal into position. The feeding mechanism is arranged sothat the second seal will not be fed until after the first seal has beencompletely fed into position and the forming lever actuated.

In addition to the difficulties encountered by improper feeding, mostprior art devices are objectionable because it is possible for theoperator, prior to the time that the appropriate feeding and shearingoperations have taken place, to actuate the forming lever. As will bereadily appreciated, operation of the forming lever prior to the timethat the appropriate preliminary operations have been performed willnormally jam the machine and possibly break it, sometimes necessitatingminor repairs and in other cases necessitating major repairs before themachine can again be used. In accordance with the present invention Iprovide mechanism for locking the forming lever and the joint formingmechanism in normal position above the strap ends until after thevarious operations preliminary to the forming operation are carried out.In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the locking mechanism is notoperated until the shearing of the coil end of the strap takes place. Noseparate operation is required for the unlocking of the forming lever asthe unlocking thereof is accomplished by means of the movement of themain operating lever through the shearing stroke.

In accordance with the present invention I also provide means movableinto position by the main operating lever for properly alining theoverlapped strap ends. As shown in the drawings of the preferredembodiment described hereinafter, this strap alining means is in theform of a disk which is lowered into strap alining position as thetightening disks are lowered into engagement with the strap ends. Inaddition to strap alining mechanism of this character, I provide adevice, which is in the form of a spring in the preferred embodimentshown in the drawings, for holding the strap ends tightly togetherduring the sealing operations.

In the prior art devices considerable dificulty has been experienced inpositioning the seals over the overlapped strap ends. Of course where apreformed seal is used, i. e., a seal having a top portion and dependingleg portions, the problem of getting the seal in proper position is notas acute as where the seal is a flat clip blank or where the seal is cutfrom a continuous ribbon of seal material mounted in a magazine carriedby the base or the standard mounted thereon. Where such seals are usedthere is no tendency for them to center themselves and, consequently,provision must be made for guiding them to proper position and formaintaining them in appropriate position after they have been positionedover the strap ends. In my Patent No. 2,182,004, I have shown anddescribed a device embodying seal supports carried by and movable withthe presserhead of the device. While seal supports of this characterwill function properly they add to the cost of manufacture and areotherwise objectionable. Pursuant to the present invention I haveeliminated such seal supports and have provided a device in which theseal is fed to a position below the presser head and held there, bothbefore and during the movement of the forming mechanism downwardly ontothe strap ends, by means of a tongue or seal support extending inwardl-yto a position below the forming mechanism and carried by the mechanismfor feeding the seal to position.

In addition to providing seal holding mechanism of the character justdescribed, I provide guides which cooperate with the feeding mechanismand the forming mechanism to properly position the seal.

I-Ieretofore difficulty has been experienced with the coil end of thestrap after it has been cut off. The strap utilized is relatively heavyand has sharp edges and when the shearing operation is completed thefree strap end frequently lashes around and strikes a workman and cutshim. In the device which I have provided by the present inventionprovision is made to hold the free end of the strap after it has beencut off. In the preferred embodiment this device is in the form of aspring clip.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown for purposes of illustrationonly a preferred embodiment of a device embodying my invention. In thedrawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device which I provide;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the device shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line IIIIII of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an end elevation;

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line V--V of Figure 1 with thecover over the feeding mechanism removed;

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a portion of the feeding mechanism andthe shear mechanism, the cover, magazine and forming mechanism beingremoved;

Figure '7 is a section taken along the line VIIVII of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a partial horizontal section taken just above the base ofthe device;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the feeding mechanism inpartially advanced position;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 with the feeding mechanism and aseal in further advanced position;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figures 8 to 10, inclusive, with thefeeding mechanism shown in neutral position, that is, the position towhich it returns after a seal has been fed into appropriate positionover the overlapped strap ends and the forming mechanism operated;

Figure 12 is a plan view of a completed joint;

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the completed joint shown inFigure 12;

Figure 14 is a section taken along the line XIV-XIV of Figure 12 Figure15 is a plan view of a flat clip seal;

Figure 16 is a section through the feeding shaft and cam for operatingthe feeding lever;

Figure 17 is a plan view of a portion of the shaft carrying the feedingcam for operating the shuttle lever; and

Figure 18 is a section through a part of the tightening and aliningmechanism, taken on line XVIIIXVIII of Fi 2.

As shown in the drawings, the device which I provide comprises a base 2and a standard 3 mounted thereon. The standard 3 is split along asubstantial central plane, as indicated at 4, into two portions 5 and Bwhich are appropriately secured together by means of screws 1 and 8. Theportion 6 of the standard is secured to and supported on the base 2whereas the portion 5 of the standard is carried on the other portionthereof in overhanging relation to one edge of the base 2. The portionof the base positioned below the overhanging portion 5 of the standardis feathered off at 9 to facilitate the entry of the trap H)intoappropriate position with regard to the forming, shearing andtightening mechanism. As is well understood, the overlapping ends of thestrap H] are first passed around a box or package H before beinginserted into the sealing device. The feathered or tapered edge of thebase is slotted as indicated at I2 to permit the proper functioning ofthe sealing apparatus.

In use, the strap IB is drawn from a coil and wrapped around the box Hand the free .end brought back under the portion of the strap indicatedby the reference character [3 which passes to the coil. The strappingdevice is then moved so that the tapered edge of the base 2 enters underthe free end of the strap. The coil end of the strap is disposed betweena shear block I5 and a shear IS. The shear i6 is normally upraised so asto permit the strap to be positioned between it and the shear block butis reciprocable relative to the shear block [5 so as to permit theshearing of the coil end of the strap. This shearing mechanism will bedescribed more in detail hereinafter.

Before shearing the coil end of the strap from that portion which hasbeen passed around the box H, it is desirable to tighten the strap andto hold it in tension during the formation of the joint so that a tightstrap will be formed about the box. Lateral extensions 2! of thestandard provide supports for the mechanism for tightening the strap andfor the main operating lever or handle. enlarged outer portion 23 and areduced inner portion 24 is supported in the lateral extensions 2| ofthe standard. Between the two lateral extensions 2! the shaft has aneccentric portion 25 on which toothed tightening wheels 26 are rotatablymounted. Between the two toothed wheels 23 is a ratchet wheel 21. heratchet wheel is secured to the toothed wheels 26 by means of rivets 28spaced around the face thereof. The ratchet wheel 2'! cooperates with apawl 2s pivoted on the standard by means of a pivot pin 39. The pawl 29is urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel 2'! by means of a spring35, one end of which bears against the pawl 29 and the other end ofwhich rests in a recess 32 in the standard. A handle 3t for rotating thetightening wheel is rotatably mounted on the portion of the shaft 22carrying the wheels. The inner end of the tightening handle 35 has forks31 which straddle the toothed wheels and the pawl wheel 21. A ratchet 33is pivoted by means of a pin 39 to the handle 35 between the forks 3;and this pawl cooperates with the ratchet wheel 2? to rotate it and thewheels 25. The pawl 23 slides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 2?when it is rotated in a tightening direction, i. e., a clockwisedirection as shown in Figure 2, and prevents the rotation of the ratchetwheel and the toothed wheels in the reverse direction. The pawl 38 isnormally urged into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 2'5by a spring 43, one end of which bears against the pawl and the otherend of which is positioned in a recess M in the tightening handle.

The eccentric portion 25 of the shaft 22 also has mounted thereonbetween the forks of the tightening handle 36 a disk 42. This disk has agreater diameter than the toothed wheels 25 and when the toothed wheelsare brought into engagement with the overiapping strap ends the diskextends into a recess d2-a in the feathered A shaft 22 having an.

extension of the base and holds the overlappedstrap ends in position.This disk 42 is positioned on the outside of a serrated insert 43 whichis screwed in the feathered portion of the base and which cooperateswith the toothed wheels '26 to hold the strap in tightened position.

The enlarged outer portion 23 of the shaft 22 is adapted to receive andsupport the main operating lever 59. The enlarged portion 23 of theshaft is provided with a peripheral groove 5! and a hole 52 at one endthereof. The hole 52 and the groove 5| are appropriately positioned withrespect to that portion of the feeding mechanism carried by the reducedportion 24 or the shaft 22 to be described later, so that when theoperating lever 53 is released from the shaft 22 and rotated relativethereto for purposes to be discussed hereinafter, the operating leverwill always be reengaged with the shaft and rotatable therewith inproper relation to the feeding mechanism. The operating lever 513 has alongitudinally movable rod 53 which extends into the groove iii andnormally into the hole 52. This rod 53 is movable out of the hole 52 bymeans of a bell crank lever 5 3 pivoted at 55 in the knob 5E. A slot 5'!is provided in the knob and the upper portion of the operating lever 50to receive the lever 56. When the lever 54 is pressed inwardly towardthe axis of the operating handle 5i) the rod 53 is moved longitudinallyupwardly and disengaged from the hole 52. The upper end of the rod 53carries a collar 53a which extends into a recess 58 in the short arm ofthe lever 54. A spring 5%) is positioned in a recess 60 in the lmob 5tof the operating lever and one end of this spring bears against thecollar and the other end bears against a screw plug 5| threaded in therecess. This spring 59 normally urges the rod 53 downwardly into thegroove 5| and the hole 52.

It will be apparent from what ha been statedabove that when the rod 55is in the hole 52 and the main operating lever 53 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 1 the shaft 22, includingthe enlarged portion 23, the

v ing handle 35 when the parts are in this position will tight-en thestrap around the boX H.

After the strap has been tightened it is desirable to shear the strap asclose as possible to the point where the joint is to be formed. Theshearing is accomplished by the shear block l5 which extends laterallybeneath the standard and the shear it. These parts are best shown inFigures 1, 2, 4 and '7. The shear E6 is movable toward the shear blockby a shear arm 64 which extends laterally of the machine into a positionwhere it will be engaged by further counterclockwise motion of the mainoperating lever 53 after it has been rotated to a position to bring thetightening mechanism into operating position. The shear block, the shearand the shear operating arm are carried by a shear frame 35. The shearframe is pivotally mounted on a pin 55:! in the base of the device sothat it can be manually moved out of shearing position. The shear isfulcrumed on the frame by means of a pin 66 for movement relative to theshear block. The operating lever is pivotally mounted on the frame by afulcrum pin 61. A spring 68 is provided for normally urging the shear lupwardly out of cutting position and a second spring 89 is provided fornormally urging the shear frame and the parts described above towardshearing position, one end of the spring 69 cooperating with an abutmenton the base 2 and the other end thereof engaging the shear frame. Whenthe arm 64 is engaged by the lever as it moves downwardly, the arm turnsclockwise as viewed in Figure 4 and actuates the shear l5 downwardlythrough a cutting stroke.

A stop T6 is mounted on the front side of the standard so that the mainoperating lever 50 will not be moved into position for cutting the strapuntil after the operator has tightened the strap. Of course, if theoperator desires to do so he can shear the strap without effecting anytightening operation but the stop is provided for the purpose ofpreventing accidental shearing prior to tightening. Furthermore, thestop permits the operator to press down on the main operating handle tohold the one end of the machine flat on the box or other object beingbound while the strap tightening mechanism is being operated. The rod 53carries a block 1! which cooperates with the stop 16 for the purposejust described. When it is desired to shear the strap the operatorpresses the lever 54 to release the rod 53 from the hole 52 in theenlarged portion 23 of the main shaft 22. When the lever 54 is rockedabout its pivot and the rod 53 raised the block 11 is also movedupwardly out of en gagement with the stop. The main operating lever canthen be moved further in a counterclockwise direction without furtherrotation of the shaft 22. This is desirable because it prevents thisfurther rotation of the main operating lever from rotating the reducedinner portion 24 of the main operating shaft 22 and therefore preventsfurther movement of the feeding mechanism to be described later. It alsoprevents any disturbance of the tightening and holding mechanism. Thisfurther counterclockwise movement of the main operating lever 50 causesthe projection 18 on the operating handle to come into contact with theshear lever. After it comes in contact with the shear lever, furtherrotation thereof in a counterclockwise direction will operate the shearto sever the strap.

At substantially the same time that the shearing is accomplished theprojection 19 on the main operating handle 50 comes in contact with theprojecting short arm 86 of the bell crank lever 8| which is utilized tolock the forming mechanism in normal position during the tightening andshearing operations. The other longer arm 82 of the bell crank lever 8|extends inwardly of the device to a position beneath the pin 83 whichsupports the forming jaws to be described hereinafter. The arm 82 of thebell crank is normally urged into position beneath the pin 83 by aspring 84, one end of which bears against the lever and the other end ofwhich rests in a recess 85 in the standard. When the projection on themain operating lever 50 pushes the arm 80 of the bell crank 8|downwardly the crank rotates about its pivot pin 86 and the arm 82 ispushed to one side of the pin 83. This unlocks the forming mechanism sothat the forming lever 81 can be operated to form the joint between theseal and the overlapped strap ends.

The bell crank 8| has to be held to one side of the pin 83 until afterthe forming lever 8! has commenced its stroke.

Assuming that a seal has been fed into position over the overlappedstrap ends and assuming that the shearing operation has been completedit is then desirable to rotate the forming lever 81 in a clockwisedirection as shown in Figures 1 and 2 in order to form the joint. Theforming mechanism is adapted to move the clip seal into position on thestrap ends and to bend the edges thereof downwardly and inwardly aroundthe strap ends and to crimp the seal and the strap ends. The formingmechanism includes a ram 98 which is reciprocable in suitable recessesformed in the portions 5 and 6 of the standard 3. The ram isreciprocated in the standard by means of the forming lever 81. which ispivotally mounted at 98 on the standard. The forming lever 81 isprovided with a slot 99 cooperating with a pin IEO carried by the ramoperating link ISI which is pivotally mounted at [02 on the standard.This operating link is in turn provided with a slot I23 in which a rampin [D4 is positioned. The ram pin I04 extends through openings H35 inthe bifurcated upper end of the ram 96 and as pressure is exerted on theram pin I84 by the forming lever through the link I01, the ram isreciprocated in the standard. The forming mechanism also includes jawsI06 which are adapted to be normally positioned above the seal when itis fed into position over the strap and to be moved downwardly againstthe projecting ends of the seal and to bend these projecting endsdownwardly around the strap ends. Upwardly extending side plates I01 areprovided on each end of each of the forming or bending jaws N16. Theside plates are provided with alined holes to receive the main operatingpin 83. These plates are also provided with overlapping cam slots I69adapted to receive the operating pin I II] which extends through anopening III in the ram. The main operating pin 83 also extends through alongitudinally extending slot H2 in the ram. The main operating pin 83at each end extends beyond the side plates of the forming jaws and theseends cooperate with guides H3 and a pin I I4.

The forming mechanism also includes a presser head I20 which isgenerally U-shaped, having a bottom portion I 2| and side members I22.The side members are provided with slots I23 to receive the mainoperating pin 83. When the presser head has been moved downwardly to asufiicient extent to be brought into contact with the overlapping strapends further downward movement thereof will be prevented by the pin 83coming in contact with the stop pin H4.

The ram is provided with a longitudinally extending recess I25 which isadapted to receive a spring I26, the lower end of which bears againstthe presser head thereby normally holding the ram in upraised position.At the lower end the ram is provided with hardened tips l2! which, uponlowering of the ram, come in contact with the seal and the overlappingstrap ends and crimp the seal and the strap ends as indicated at 28 inFigure 14. The presser head is provided with slots I29 to permit thehardened tips of the ram to pass therethrough and to contact the seal.

It is highly desirable that the seals fed into position below thepresser head and above the strap ends shall be accurately positioned. Inorder to assure the proper positioning of the seals I utilize seals I30which are provided with a centrally disposed hole l3l which cooperateswith a spring pressed pin I32 extending through the bottom of thepresser head. A spring I33 is provided in the recess in the ram forpressing the pin I32 downwardly through the opening in the presser headat all times. A shoulder I35 is provided on the pin for preventing itfrom passing completely through the opening in the presser head. Theholes I 3| in the seals also assist in the stacking and shipping of theseals.

In addition to the holes in each seal and the spring pressed pin I32,appropriate guides are provided for assisting in properly positioningthe seals. As the seal I33 moves forwardly from a magazine I35 it restsupon shuttle guides I36 and then passes between upwardly extendingguides I 31 which are formed integral with the base. When the sealreaches the sealing position it comes in contact with centering stopsE38 which extend downwardly from the presser head. These stops movedownwardly with the presser head until the presser head is in Contactwith the seal and the seal in contact with the strap ends so that theseal is properly guided through its downward travel. In addition to theproper guiding of the forward end of the seal in its downward movement,the rear end of the seal, that is, the end closer to the magazine, isguided downwardly by the guides I31 formed on the base, these guidescontaining a shoulder I39 along which the seal rides as it movesdownwardly. A portion of each shoulder I39 is at an angle so that as theseal moves downwardly it also moves forwardly to the proper position.The feeding of the seals and the operation of these guides will be morefully described hereinafter in the description of the complete operationof the machine.

An adjustable stop is provided for limiting the downward movement of theforming lever. This stop is in the form of a forked member I45, theforks I46 of which are pivoted on the pivot pin 96 about which theforming lever 61 rotates. The forks I46 are located on the outside ofthe forming lever so that the forming lever, as it is moved downwardly,will strike the adjustable screw pin I41 which is secured by a set screwI58 in any adjusted position in the stop member. The face of the stopmember I 45 moves into a recess I 49 in the standard and when it restsagainst the wall of the recess further movement of the forming leverwill be stopped.

A supply of the clip seals I36 is maintained in the magazine I35, whichis mounted on the standard 3. The magazine I35 comprises a sheet metalchannel I56 which is provided with a slid able door II, the door beingmovable vertically through slots I52 in the side Walls of the channelI50. This slidable door, when it is raised, permits the insertion ofseals into the magazine. A spring I53 is provided in the magazine fornormally forcing the seals downwardly. The one end of the spring I53bears against the top plate I54 of the magazine and the other endthereof bears against a movable plate I55 which is mounted above theseals in the magazine. The plate I55 has secured to the base thereof alaterally extending arm I56 which extends out of the magazine on eachside through a slot I51. The purpose of the arm I56 is to permit theoperator to compress the spring so as to permit the insertion ofadditional clips in the magazine.

In accordance with the present invention I provide an entirely novelmethod and apparatus for feeding the seals from the magazine intoposition over the strap ends.

As pointed out above, the arrangement is of such character that theoperator cannot jam the machine. The arrangement of the feedingmechanism is also such that the feeding shuttle is moved automaticallyafter the initial movement of the main operating handle to cook thefeeding parts. After the cocking takes place the operation of thefeeding mechanism is entirely automatic as the other operationsprogress.

The feeding of the individual seals I36 from the magazine to a pointover the strap ends is accomplished by a shuttle I53 which isreciprocable along the tracks or guides I36 mounted on the base. Theshuttle is channel shaped with the legs extending downwardly and ridingalong the base. The shuttle is prevented from escaping from between theguides I36 as the guides extend over the top of the shuttle to a slightextent as shown in Figure 6. The sides of the shuttle slide along thesides of the guides I36. In Figure 11 the shuttle I66 and the operatingparts are shown in a neutral position. This is the position which theparts assume immediately after the operation of the forming lever 81through a part of the joint forming stroke. At this time the mainoperating lever 50 is in the position marked III on Figure l. Rotationof the main operating lever 50 in a clockwise direction rotates theshaft 22, including the reduced portion 24, and this operation serves tooperate the feeding mechanism through the cooking stroke by virtue ofthe parts about to be described.

The reduced portion 24 of the shaft 22 carries a sleeve I6I which issecured thereon by nuts I62 and I63. This sleeve I6I is provided with acam I64, two faces of which are of proper configuration to cooperatewith the operating pin or follower I65 carried by a shuttle lever I66.The shuttle lever I66 is pivotally mounted on a screw I61 which isthreaded into the base. The screw is provided with a head I66 andbetween the head and the shuttle lever I66 is a spring I69. One end ofthe spring abuts a side wall I16 on the base and the other end is bentdownwardly around the shuttle lever. This spring I69 normally urges theshuttle lever I66 toward the rear end of the base, although in theposition shown in Figure 11 relatively little pressure is exerted on theshuttle lever as the spring IE3 is primarily for the purpose of forcingthe shuttle lever in a clockwise direction about its pivot point to theposition shown in Figure 11. As the shaft 22 and the sleeve I6I arerotated in a clockwise direction by the main operating lever 56, the oneface of the cam I64 contacts the pin I65 on the shuttle lever and movesthe shuttle lever in a clockwise direction to the position shown inFigure 8. One end of the shuttle lever I66 extends through a slot I36ain the adjacent guide I36 into an opening I1I in the shuttle andpositively operates the shuttle so that as the shuttle lever I66 ismoved in a clockwise direction it moves the shuttle rearwardly to aposition where the raised nose I12 of the shuttle will be in position tocontact and move forward the bottom seal in the magazine.

The movement of the shuttle lever I66 from the position shown in Figure11 to the position shown in Figure 8 compresses a spring I13 which ispositioned on the base. One end of the spring I13 abuts the side wall ofthe base and the other end abuts the shuttle lever. Intermediate itsends the spring I13 is turned around a pin I14 carried by the base. Anarm I 15 is provided to hold the end of the spring which abuts theshuttle lever down adjacent the base; that is, the arm I15 prevents thespring from flying out of position when compressed. When the cam I66slides off the pin I65 the spring I13 forces the shuttle lever I66 andthe shuttle forward to approximately the position shown in Figure 9.Normally the shuttle lever I66 will merely be advanced as far as the endof the spring I13 advances but at times, due to the quick movementthereof by the spring, the shuttle lever will move away from the end ofthe spring as shown in Figure 9. Movement from the position shown inFigure 8 to approximately the position shown in Figure 9 permits thenose I12 of the shuttle to pick up and advance the bottom seal to theposition shown in Figure 9. A spring pressed tongue or seal support I16extends forwardly of the shuttle and this seal support holds theadvancing clip seal up against the presser head and the guides.

Rotation of the main operating handle 56 and the shaft 22 in acounterclockwise direction causes the other face of the cam I64 tostrike the pin I65 and further advance the shuttle and shuttle lever tothe position shown in Figure 10. This operation serves to advance theseal to a position where the forward end is supported by the guides I38.It is then in appropriate position for the formation of the joint. Whenthe cam I64 passes beyond the pin I65 the spring I69 pulls the shuttleback to approximately the position shown in Figures 5 and 9. The seal,however, does not return with the shuttle but remains in the advancedposition and is held by the seal support and the guides.

The tongue or seal support I16 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin I11carried by the shuttle. The tongue or seal support is rotatably mountedon this pin and is normally held in raised position by a coiled springI18 which is coiled about the pivot pin. One end of the spring I18 bearsagainst the under face of the shuttle and the other end bears againstthe under face of the tongue or seal support I16, thereby holding it inupraised position.

After the shuttle has been positively advanced by the cam and by the pinon the shuttle lever I66 to the position as shown in Figure 10, thespring I69, as stated above, pulls the shuttle lever and the shuttlerearwardly to the position shown in Figure 9. This rearward movement islimited so that the tongue or seal support will remain beneath the fedseal until after the forming operation has commenced. The rearwardmovement of the shuttle is limited by a shuttle latch I19 (see Figs. 6and '1) which is pivoted on the pin I11 adjacent one side wall of theshuttle. The end of the shuttle latch which is mounted on the pin isheld against the side of the shuttle by the coiled spring I18. The otherend of the shuttle latch is bent outwardly away from the wall of theshuttle as indicated at I80 for cooperation with a pin I8I extendingupwardly from the base between the guides I36 and beneath the path oftravel of the shuttle. The short end of the shuttle latch extendingforwardly of the pivot pin I11 is forked for cooperation with the sealsupport or tongue. The forks I82 extend around the inner end of thetongue adjacent the pivot pin and when the tongue is held in upraisedposition by the spring I18 the forward end of the shuttle latch israised and the rear end which cooperates with the pin llll is forceddownwardly. During the forward movement of the wardly to a point closeto the strap ends.

shuttle the rear end of the latch is displaced laterally by engagementwith the pin I8I (see Fig. 11) but when the rear end of the shuttlelatch is advanced beyond the pin I8I it returns to its normal position(see Fig. 10) and rearward movement of the shuttle will bring the rearend of the latch I19 into engagement with the pin IBI and the shuttlewill be held in the position indicated in Figures 5, 6, '7 and 9 untilthe latch is released.

As it is desired to maintain the tongue in contact with the bottom faceof the seal until it has been lowered onto the strap ends the shuttlelatch is not released until during the forming operation. As the forminglever is rotated to lower the ram, the presser head, and the jaws, thetongue or seal support I16 will be forced downwardly against thepressure of the spring I18. As it is moved downwardly the bottom facecomes in contact with the lower fork I82 of the shuttle latch I19 andthe rear end of the latch I19 is raised to a sufflcient extent to permitthe rear end thereof to be disengaged from the pin I8I. This does nottake place until after the forming mechanism has been brought down- Whenthe latch is raised so that it will slide over the pin I8l the springI69 pulls the shuttle lever I66, the shuttle and the parts carried bythe shuttle, including the tongue and the latch rearwardly to theposition shown in Figure 11. In this position the tongue and the shuttleare back beneath the magazine and out from under the forming mechanismso that the forming mechanism can be brought against the strap ends andthe joint formed.

After the forming operation takes place, the main operating lever 50 isrotated in a counterclockwise direction and the cycle of operationsagain repeated for the formation of a further joint.

As stated above, the strap ends are held in alinement to some extent bythe alining disk 42 carried on the eccentric shaft 22 which carries thetightening wheels 26. In addition to this alining mechanism I provide aspring I85 for holding the strap ends together. The spring I85 is a flatspring, one end of which is secured to the base by a pin I86. As shownin Figure 3 the spring extends outwardly over the strap ends and thefree end is bent downwardly into contact with the base of the machineand the strap is positioned between this end of the spring and the base.

I also provide a spring clip I81 for holding the coil end of the strapbeing used after it has been sheared from the strap extending around thebox or package. This spring clip is positioned to the left of the shearas viewed in Figure 1. It is formed of a doubled wire, one end of whichexoperation serves to cook the feeding mechanism and to partially feedthe clip to a position over the strap ends. As is evident from what hasbeen stated above, this movement of the operating lever 56 moves thefeeding mechanism from the position shown in Figure 11 through theposition shown in Figure 8 to approximately the position shown in Figure9. The operator then places the strap around the package and puts theoverlapped strap ends beneath the tightening wheels 26 and the springI85. The end passing around the box extends between the base and thecutting block of the shear and the free end of the strap extends betweenthe shear member and the cutting block and between the parallel legs ofthe spring clip I81. The operator then rotates the main operating lever50 in a counterclockwise or forward direction. This operation feeds theseal forward to the position shown in Figure and the shuttle is movedrearwardly from this position to the position shown in Figures 5, 6, 7and 9 by the spring I69. This operation also serves to lower thetightening mechanism and the alining disk 42 into contact with the strapends. The operator then moves the tightening handle 36 back and forth totighten the overlapped strap ends. At this time the main operatinghandle is in the position marked II in Figure 1. The operator thenpresses the bell crank lever 54 which moves the rod or pin 53 out of thehole 52 in the enlarged portion 23 of the shaft 22. The block 'I'Icarried by the rod 53 is also moved out of engagement with the stop Itand the main operating lever is then moved forward to position III shownin Figure 1. In this position the coil end of the strap is sheared andthe forming lever released. The operator then grasps the forming leverB? and moves it clockwise as shown in Figure 1. As the forming mechanismis moved downwardly the shuttle latch is released from the pin IBI andthe shuttle and the tongue or seal support carried thereby movedrearwardly by the spring I 59.

During initial movement of the forming lever 8? in a clockwise directionas shown in Figure 1 the ram operating link forces the ram pin Ifllldownwardly. The ram pin is provided with a reduced end portion I95 whichcooperates with a forming lever latch I92, the reduced end poriion ofthe ram pin extending into a small recess I93 in the latch. The latch isprovided with roller pins I9 which cooperate with a slot I95 in a latchguide I96 secured in the standard 3. The slot at its lower end is turnedat a right angle to the main direction of travel of the rollers I94. Thelatch itself is provided with a protruding nose portion I9'I adapted tobear against the main operating pin 33.

During the initial downward movement of the ram pin H34 the forminglever latch by the arrangement just described causes the main operatingpin 83 to move downwardly with the ram. When the lower roller I94 of theforming latch lever reaches the lower portion of the slot it moveslaterally and the reduced end of the ram pin is disengaged from theforming lever latch. Continued downward movement of the forming leverlatch by reason of the operation of the ram pin Iii i stops.

During the above-described operation the ram moves downwardly and byvirtue of the connection between the ram and the main operating pin 83through the ram pin and the forming lever latch, the main operating pinand the jaws carried thereby are moved downwardly. The presser head andthe guides likewise move downwardly with the main operating pin. Theseal is brought into contact with the su'perposejzl strap ends and thejaws bend the seal downwardly past the edges of the strap. Furtherdownward movement of the ram causes the operating pin H6 to continue inits downward movement and by reason of the overlapping slots we the jawsare brought together and the seal bent inwardly around the strap.Further downward movement of the ram causes the hardened tips of the ramto pass through the openings in the presser head and to crimp the sealand the strap ends in the manner indicated in Figures 12, 13 and 14.

It wil1 be evident from what has been stated above that the device whichI provide possesses 'numerous advantages over the prior art devices. Itwill also be evident that this device is fool-proof and cannot be jammedby the operator, the feeding operation being substantially automaticafter the cooking of the various parts embodied in the feedingmechanism. It will also be evident that the strap tensioning and aliningmechanism, the feeding mechanism, the forming mechanism, the shearingmechanism, and the crimping mechanism, are readily operated by merelytwo handles, namely, the main operating handle or lever and the forminglever.

For a more detailed disclosure of the arrangement and operation of theforming jaws and the presser head, which are not claimed per so herein,reference is hereby made to my Patents Numhers 2,191,981 and 2,182,004.

While I have shown and described a preferred cmbodiment of my inventionit is to be understood that my invention is not limited to thisparticular structure but may be otherwise embodied within the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, feeding mechanism including a mainoperating handle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position overthe strap ends, forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the strap ends and the seal, and locking means forlocking the forming mechanism in inoperative position, said lookingmeans including a lever cooperating with the main operating lever andbeing arranged to be moved to unlocking position by said main operatinglever.

2. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the seal and the strap ends, a seal magazine, a movableshuttle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position over thestrap ends, a shuttle lever having movementtransmitting engagement withthe shuttle, a rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft, meanscarried by the shaft and cooperating with the shuttle lever foractuating the shuttle and shuttle lever in one direction during rotationof the shaft in one direction and for moving the shuttle in the oppositedirection upon rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction to feed aseal into position over the strap ends, and resilient means cooperatingwith the shuttle lever for moving it and the shuttle through a portionof the return stroke independently of said rotatable shaft.

3. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the seal and the strap ends, a seal magazine, a movableshuttle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position over thestrap ends, a rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a shuttlelever having movement-transmitting engagement with the shuttle, meanscarried by the shaft and cooperating with the shuttle lever to move theshuttle through a portion of the feeding stroke upon rotation of theshaft in one direction, resilient means 00- operating with the shuttlelever to move the shuttle in the reverse direction through a portion ofthe feeding stroke independently of the rotatable shaft, the aforesaidmeans carried by the rotatahis shaft being arranged to again actuate theshuttle lever and shuttle through an additional portion of the feedingstroke upon rotation of the shaft in the reverse direction, a secondresilient means cooperating with the shuttle lever for moving theshuttle and the shuttle lever through a return stroke, and means carriedby the shuttle for preventing said last mentioned resilient means frommoving the shuttle entirely through its return stroke until actuation ofthe joint forming mechanism.

4. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, forming mechanism for forming a jointbetween the seal and the strap ends, feeding mechanism including amovable shuttle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a positionbeneath the forming mechanism and above the strap ends, means for movingthe shuttle, and means including guides movable with said formingmechanism and a seal support displaceably carried on said shuttle forsupporting and guiding the seal to appropriate position over the strapends.

5. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, forming mechanism including a forminglever for forming a joint between the strap ends and the seal, feedingapparatus including a main operating handle for feeding a seal from themagazine to a position over the strap ends, tightening mechanism formoving the strap ends relative to each other for tightening the strap,means for lowering the tightening mechanism into contact with and forraising it above the strap ends upon rotation of said main operatinglever, and a strap alining member associated with said tighteningmechanism and adapted to be lowered into strap alining position bymovement of said main operating lever to lower the tightening mechanismonto the strap ends.

6. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, forming mechanism for forming a jointbetween the strap ends and the seal, feeding mechanism for feeding aseal from the magazine to a position beneath the forming mechanism andabove the strap ends, centering stops carried by the forming mechanismfor holding the seal in proper fed position over the strap ends, a basecarrying said forming and feeding mechanism, and guides carried by saidbase for guiding the seal to proper position over the overlapped strapends, said last mentioned guides cooperating with the said stops inholding the seal in proper position.

'7. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a base, a seal magazine mounted on the base, formingmechanism for forming a joint between a seal and the overlapping strapends, feeding apparatus for feeding a seal from the magazine to aposition over the strap ends beneath the forming mechanism, tighteningmechanism for tightening the overlapped strap ends, shearing mechanismfor shearing the strap, a main operating lever and connections betweenit and the shearing, feeding and tightening mechanisms for actuating theshearing mechanism and the feeding mechanism and for moving thetightening mechanism onto the strap, and means carried by the base forholding the sheared strap end after the shearing operation takes place.

8. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, means including a main operating handleand a shuttle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position overthe strap ends, forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the strap ends and the seal, and means for moving thefeeding shuttle through a portion of its return stroke including aretracting spring adapted to be stressed and a latch adapted to be setby movement of the operating handle in its working stroke and meansactuated by the forming lever for tripping said latch.

9. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, feeding mechanism including a mainoperating handle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position overthe strap ends, forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the strap ends and the seal, and releasable lockingmeans normally engaging the forming mechanism to hold it in inoperativeposition, and means disposed in the path of the main operating leverwhereby the locking means is released by movement of said main operatinglever.

10. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising a seal magazine, a movable shuttle for feeding a sealfrom the magazine to a position over the strap ends, forming mechanismincluding a forming lever for forming a joint between the seal and thestrap ends, a main operating lever, and shuttle-operating mechanismincluding a shuttle lever engaging the shuttle, a spring positioned tobe engaged by the shuttle lever and effective when stressed to swing theshuttle lever through a portion of its feeding stroke, a follower on theshuttle lever and cam means actuated by movement of the main lever inone direction for engaging said follower to cook the shuttle leveragainst the force of said spring, said cam means also being operative onmovement of the main lever in the opposite direction to actuate theshuttle lever through the balance of the feeding stroke.

11. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising forming mechanism including a forming lever for tilforming a joint between the seal and the strap ends, a seal magazine, amovable shuttle for feeding a seal to a position over the strap ends, arotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a shuttle lever having amovement-transmitting engagement with the shuttle, means carried by theshaft and cooperating with the shuttle lever to move the shuttle througha portion of the feeding cycle upon rotation of the shaft in onedirection, said means being adapted then to disengage the shuttle lever,resilient means cooperating with the shuttle lever to move the shuttlein the reverse direction through a portion of the feeding strokeindependently of the rotatable shaft, the aforesaid means carried by therotatable shaft being arranged to again engage and actuate the shuttlelever and shuttle through an additional portion of the feeding strokeupon rotation of the shaft in the reverse direction, and a secondresilient means cooperating with the shuttle lever for returning theshuttle and the shuttle lever through the return stroke.

12. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the seal and the strap ends, a seal magazine, a movableshuttle for feeding a seal from the magazine to a position over thestrap ends, a shuttle lever having a movementtransmitting engagementwith the shuttle, a rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft, meanscarried by said rotatable shaft and cooperating with the shuttle leverfor moving it and the shuttle through a portion of the feeding stroke,and separate springs cooperating with the shuttle lever for moving itand the shuttle through the balance of the feeding stroke and through aportion of the return stroke.

13. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aseal comprising forming mechanism including a forming lever for forminga joint between the seal and the strap ends.

a seal magazine, a movable shuttle for feeding a seal from the magazineto a position over the strap ends, a shuttle lever having amovementtransmitting engagement With the shuttle, a rotatable shaft,means for rotating the shaft,

means carried by said rotatable shaft and coop- 1 erating with theshuttle lever for moving it and the shuttle through a portion of thefeeding stroke, separate springs cooperating with the shuttle lever formoving it and the shuttle through the balance of the feeding stroke andthrough a portion of the return stroke, and a seal support carried bysaid shuttle for supporting the seal beneath the forming mechanism andabove the overlapping strap ends.

14. Apparatus as defined by claim 10 characterized by a spring forinitially retracting the shuttle lever, a latch normally holding theshuttle against retraction, and means actuated by the forming mechanismto release said latch.

HERMAN J. SPENCER.

